Network devices on the Internet commonly transmit audio signals to other network devices (“receivers”) on the Internet. To that end, prior to transmission, a given audio signal commonly is divided into a series of contiguous audio segments that each are encapsulated within one or more Internet Protocol packets. Each segment includes a plurality of samples that identify the amplitude of the signal at specific times. Once filled with one or more audio segments, each Internet Protocol packet is transmitted to one or more Internet receiver(s) in accord with the well known Internet Protocol.
As known in the art, Internet Protocol packets commonly are lost during transmission across the Internet. Undesirably, the loss of Internet Protocol packets transporting audio segments often significantly degrades signal quality to unacceptable levels. This problem is further exasperated when transmitting a real-time voice signal across the Internet, such as a real-time voice signal transmitted during a teleconference conducted across the Internet.